For two weeks, the Patriots were popular. 'Squish the Fish.' 'Berry the Bears.' Pat Sullivan hit Matt Millen. The jinx was over.

"The snowplow came on the field that decade to help John Smith. Rulon Jones sacked Tony Eason in the endzone. Ernest Gibson got burned. Grogan to Morgan. Steve Nelson walked off the field a winner.

"Montana to John Taylor. L.T. crunched Theismann's leg. Dorsett went 99 yards. Fridge on fourth-and-one. Landeta missed the punt. Kellen Winslow and Dan Fouts were better than Miami and their hook-and-ladder play.

"It was the time of Fumblerooskie to Dean Steinkuhler. When Irving Fryar dropped the ball in the Orange Bowl. A guy named Doug played that decade. There was a rainy day in Miami. He threw The Pass to Phelan.

"That decade was when Kirk Gibson hobbled up and swatted the Eck and the A's in Game One. Or was it Goose Gossage and the Padres? Don Denkinger and Dane Iorg beat St. Louis. The decibel meter broke at the Metrodome.

The Rocket

"Roger struck out 20. Dave Henderson saved the day. Twice. The Pru lights made a '1.' But Schiraldi, Stanley and Buckner did bad things. Wade Boggs cried. A lot of other people did, too.

"Spike Owen buried the Yankees with his single in '88. Yaz walked around Fenway one last time in '83. Jim Rice got a standing ovation that day. The Can went crazy.

"Borg and McEnroe went to 18-16. Lendl came back from 2-0 to take the French and break Mac. Martina and Chrissie.

"Leonard-Hearns. Hearns-Hagler. Leonard-Hagler. LeMond nipped Fignon on the last day. Salazar beat Beardsley by two seconds after 26 miles. Johncock beat Mears by a nose after 500 miles. Bruce Hayes somehow held off Michael Gross.

"Dan Jansen fell twice. Eric Heiden won five times. And an Impossible Dream came true for 20 American boys with sticks. Did Craig ever find his father?"

The kid will look at me and frown. Like you, he probably won't understand a word I say. But I understand every single one. That's what memories are all about.